Eldership @ Chase Oaks
Chase Oaks Church is governed by a board of elders. We believe this is in harmony with the New Testament instructions regarding church leadership, that the church be led by a plurality of qualified leaders. The Bible instructs the elders to oversee the church and care for the flock spiritually. They are the primary group who are accountable for the overall health and effectiveness of the church. Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, so the essence of the elders’ role is to seek His direction in overseeing, guiding and caring for the church.
The qualifications for eldership are laid out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and we take these qualifications very seriously. All new elders have served in our church for enough time for these character qualities to be observed and confirmed by many, and we have a very thorough process for elder selection.
An “elder-led” church is different than some other forms of church government. We are not a pastor-led church, meaning that we are not led by one person, such as the Senior Pastor, but by a plurality of leaders. Our Sr. Pastor is one of the elders and works with the rest of the team to lead the church. We are also not a congregationally-led church, which is why we do not have business meetings during which the congregation votes on directional issues. Certainly, the elders seek out input from a variety of people, especially our church’s overall leadership team, but the elders have the authority to make overall directional decisions for the church.
Serving as an elder board has some similarities with a typical organization’s “board of directors,” but in many ways it is very dissimilar. The role is a practical one but even more so a spiritual one. Our elders serve as shepherds of our church, who seek to love and care for the rest of the church body. They serve as an example to the church and also teach and mentor others in the faith. And ultimately they understand that the true leader of the church is Jesus Himself, the “head of the church.” Because of this, seeking his direction in prayer is a very significant part of the elder function.
The advantages to being an elder-led church are many. Accountability is provided within the team format. Also, leadership is given through men with a variety of spiritual gifts and decisions are made through the wisdom of multiple godly people. An elder-led church also escapes the political environment that often happens in a congregationally-ruled church, where churches are often split by voting blocks and church politics. Another advantage is that they are able to make decisions in a timely manner to ensure the ongoing health and effectiveness of the church.
The Responsibilities of an Elder
- Helping develop and hold the vision and values of the church, setting the overall direction
- Pursuing godliness through the study of God’s Word, prayer, ministry, and connection with God’s people
- Serving as a model of a growing believer and husband and father
- Reviewing all hiring processes
- Ensuring fiscal health and approving the annual budget & changes to that budget
- Working with the pastoral staff on strategic planning for the church
- Studying God’s Word together, evaluating the health and effectiveness of our church against the ideal standard found in the New Testament
- Becoming actively involved in teaching God’s Word, serving the church in ministry, mentoring others, shepherding people with love and affection, and praying regularly for the church and people
- Praying for the sick to be healed
- Personally living the mission of bridging others to a growing life in Christ
- Maintaining doctrinal purity and answering questions raised by church members
- Facilitating communication between the elder board and the rest of the church body
- Holding the Senior Pastor accountable for his job performance and his personal godliness, while serving as his close friend, confidant, and supporter
- Holding the staff members accountable for their personal godliness
- Keeping informed of developments in church ministry
- Overseeing restoration processes
Our elders typically meet once a week on Monday evenings. About half the meetings are “business meetings,” and the other half are devoted to “the Word and prayer,” where our wives join us to evaluate our church in light of the teaching of the New Testament and to pray for the church.
For biblical teaching on eldership, please see Gene Getz’s book, Elders and Leaders, and the following passages: 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 4:11-13, 5:17; 2 Timothy 2:2, 3:16-17; Titus 1:5-2:1, 5:22; Acts 20:17-38; 1 Peter 5:1-11; James 5:13-16; Hebrews 13:17, 20; Ephesians 1:22-23.